American Muslims turn grief into action after San Diego shooting

Baltimore, USA – The tragic attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego last week, which left three people dead, plunged the American Muslim community into mourning. But at the annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) in Baltimore this past weekend, community leaders stressed the urgent need to turn sorrow into action.

Nearly 25,000 people attended the two-day event. Speakers referenced the recent shooting, highlighting the bravery of the three victims as role models for the broader community amid rising Islamophobia. “We owe them more than condolences. We owe them steadfastness,” said Lena Masri, an attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

She explained how the victims — a security guard, a caretaker, and a neighbor — sacrificed their lives to save others. Security guard Amin Abdullah returned fire, while the other two victims, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, rushed to help and called emergency services. “They defended the physical space of our community: the mosque, the school, the children, the teachers, and the worshippers. It is our duty to defend the civic space: the right to worship, the right to speak, the right to organize, the right to defend Palestine, the right to build institutions,” Masri said.

The overarching message of the convention was that the American Muslim community cannot be passive and must rely on its own strength to push back against bigotry and hatred. Speakers emphasized the importance of voting, organizing, and donating to community institutions and aligned candidates. They also called for holding authorities accountable and pushing for an end to Israeli atrocities in Palestine. “We owe Gaza more than grief. We owe Gaza advocacy that cannot be intimidated into silence,” Masri asserted.

Palestinian symbols were ubiquitous at the convention, from watermelon-print bags and flags to keffiyehs, T-shirts, and water bottles. In a marketplace with dozens of booths, attendees wrote messages of solidarity on a tent that would be sent to Gaza by the charity Life for Relief and Development (LIFE).

In speeches, activists drew links between anti-Muslim prejudice in the U.S. and Israeli abuses in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Altaf Husain, a professor at Howard University, argued that pro-Palestine voices were being targeted to silence criticism of Israel. “They want to quash this, so it’s a direct connection,” Husain said. He noted that the large attendance at the ICNA convention showed the community was undeterred and would not back down.

Saad Kazmi, president of ICNA, said the organization relied on three layers of protection to secure the weekend event: private security, an external security company, and local law enforcement in Baltimore. He said the San Diego shooting only hardened the community’s resolve to assert and defend its rights. “If anything comes out of this, it’s that more people are coming to the mosque, more people believe that the way forward is to strengthen ourselves, strengthen the community, and move forward,” Kazmi said.

After the shooting, far-right commentator Laura Loomer escalated anti-Muslim rhetoric, calling for targeting the Islamic Center of San Diego and deporting all Muslims from the U.S. Yet few Republicans condemned Loomer, who maintains close ties to the White House. More than 60 lawmakers have joined the America Without Sharia Caucus since its founding in December, a group CAIR describes as a hate group.

In March, after CAIR sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for labeling the group “terrorist,” a federal judge blocked the label’s application. In his ruling, Judge Mark Walker wrote that DeSantis’ executive order targeted the entire Muslim community. At the convention, several workshops praised the U.S. legal system, but speakers argued that human rights do not defend themselves. “You have to imagine rights as territory, and you have to occupy that territory. Otherwise, that territory will be taken. That’s exactly what is happening,” said Imam Tom Facchine from New Jersey.

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian immigrant who was detained for over a year for pro-Palestinian activism, encouraged attendees to continue political engagement. “Speaking out comes with a price... It cost me my health, my life, and my freedom, but it was worth it. Because silence costs much more,” she said.